Broadcast unions have reacted angrily to what they have called "swingeing" budget cuts planned for ITV's regional news services, saying they expect them to result in "hundreds" of job losses.

The National Union of Journalists and Bectu said they would oppose the cuts and lobby media regulator Ofcom, which will have to be approve ITV's plan before it can be implemented.

ITV wants to introduce the changes in 2009, after Ofcom completes its second review of public service broadcasting.

The ITV executive chairman, Michael Grade, revealed in a letter to staff that the number of ITV regional news services would be cut from 17 to nine in a bid to save between £35m and £40m a year.

Unions say that including "sub-regional" opt-outs, such as Anglia east and west, regional news services currently number 27.

Bectu said its members would be "devastated" by the cuts, while the NUJ said the proposals would lead to a "drastic reduction" in the UK's regional news output and "seriously damage" ITV's public service remit.

Bectu official Sharon Elliott said she expected hundreds of staff to lose their job, but said ITV had not given any detail on the scale of the cuts as yet.

"These are swingeing cuts. Our members will be devastated. We believe there will be hundreds of jobs at risk, but none of the detail has been spoken about yet," Ms Elliott added.

"We had a previous public service broadcasting review that resulted in job cuts and since then we have had further cuts taking talent out of regional news.

"It is very difficult for people to place their trust in ITV management. What is at issue here is ITV's commitment to public service broadcasting."

The NUJ broadcasting organiser, Paul McLaughlin, said: "ITV has got responsibility as a public service broadcaster, yet they have given absolutely no indication what will happen after 2014.

"They would give us no commitment about whether this is just an interim plan or not. Our concern is about what ITV can do without Ofcom approval."

Mr McLaughlin added that although ITV would need approval to reduce the 17 core regional services, it may not need approval to cut the additional 10 sub-regional opt outs.

"This is all about money and pleasing shareholders - ITV is putting profit before viewers," he said. "They have got a fight on their hands."

Ms Elliot said Bectu would lobby Ofcom over the cuts, which have to be approved by the regulator before they can be implemented.

"We are concerned that the regulator won't just roll over as we believe they did in the last review," she added.

She added that the union would be meeting Ofcom on October 18 to discuss the proposals as well as canvassing its members next week before deciding on a plan of action.

Mr Grade admitted that the plan would lead to job losses.

"Inevitably I'm sure there will have to be redundancies but at this moment in time it's not helpful to start throwing numbers around," he said.

In a letter to staff, the ITV regions director, Michael Jermey, pledged to allow staff to put concerns to senior local management in the next few days.

"There's a fairly long process ahead of us and we intend to have an intelligent and constructive conversation in all regions over the year ahead," said Mr Jermey.

The NUJ has called an emergency meeting of its regional ITV news representatives tomorrow and will hold further formal talks with the broadcaster's management before the end of the month.

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